Overview

Not for Profit Corporation. Gawad Kalinga Canada (GKC) was formed in October 6, 2010 as a federally incorporated not for profit corporation with charitable registration number 8415 83917 RR0001. Its premier project, the One Canada Project, aims to consolidate Canada-solicited resources to a few selected beneficiary communities at a time so that the delivery of benefits is not too thinly spread over too-many recipient communities.

82 Canadian Villages. GK Canada has sponsored 82 villages (20-30 homes per village) through donations from corporations and various groups.

GK villages supported by Canadians are scattered throughout the Philippines.

Corporate Partners. Major corporate partners of the GK in the Philippines have Canadian affiliates, among them TELUS, SunLife and ManuLife.

GK Canada Youth. Canadian students are growing a strong interest in GK and are organizing as a distinct group that will bring GK closer to the Canadian academic community. As far back as three years ago, a secondary school in British Columbia has started organizing immersion trips to villages in the Philippines. Independently, and on their own initiative, Ontario students with interest in Justice and Peace studies, as well as Developmental Studies have visited and studied villages. More recently, university students have been forming groups not only to bring GK-awareness to fellow students but also to introduce the GK Model to academic programs.

GK Model for marginalized Canadian communities. Canada continues to seek solutions to the problem of providing adequate and sustainable communities to its Aboriginal communities. Just as it has done to alleviate poverty in the Philippines, the GK template could prove to be effective in providing marginalized groups with a way to escape poverty and welfare dependence.

Other campaigns. GKC has initiated a campaign to help victims of typhoon Bopha/ Pablo at the start of 2013. The most recent and current campaign is geared towards helping the victims of typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda. These campaigns are consistent with the Walang Iwanan (No One Is Left Behind) initiatives of GK in the Philippines in leading on the ground operations to provide basic relief as well as rebuild or relocate damaged and destroyed homes caused by the typhoons.

Event Highlights

Gathering of Heroes. As a major first step towards achieving the One Canada Project goals, a November 2011 event “A Gathering of Heroes,” was held to renew and celebrate bonds with historical partners and to welcome new ones.

4TH Global Summit Host. In 2012, GKC hosted the 4th GK Global Summit in Toronto, On with the goal of increasing its visibility to both the Filipino-Canadian and the mainstream communities. Filipinos now make up the fourth largest visible minority group in Canada and have proven to be valuable entrepreneurs, employees, and community-work volunteers in the Canadian landscape.